Colossal Guardian Lion. Assyrian, about 865-860 BC. From Nimrud, Temple of Ishtar, Sharratniphi.This 15 tonne lion symbolized Ishtar, the Assyrian goddess of warm and guarded the entrance to her temple. The cuneiform inscription gives the name of the temple's builder, Ashurnasirpal II (882-859 BC).The lion is one of a par excavated by Austen Henry Layard in 1850. A Second fragmentary pair was found by Iraqi Archaeologists in 2001 (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)